Several niches interest me, such as buy-and-hold rental properties to generate passive income or possibly wholesale acquisitions to utilize my sales background.I do not have a Texas real estate license, and want to learn some in's and out's of the industry before deciding whether or not I will need one as a future real estate investor.  

I would settle on the business terms first, then engage an attorney to help you decide the best legal structure.

If you decide to sell it, don't wait very long and get that profit money in your pocket. 

Everywhere I’ve lived I’ve been interested in Real Estate but I’ve finally decided to look in to investing.

At the end of the day you need to decide what type of portfolio and strategy you are interested in.

What I say is around the lines of  "you may be aware of not but the the county has listed your property for a tax sale, you can still avoid the tax sale if you pay the taxes before the deadline but if you rather just sale this property, I would like to have the opportunity to buy it from you".I have also considered using the line "I'll buy it from you before you loose it to the tax sale" but I decided against it as it is deceptive and could be seen that way.  

Be aware that if your family member decides not to pay you all or part of the agreed fee, you will have no legal recourse because only a licensed broker can collect a fee for brokering a real estate transaction. 

If they owe money and do not pay they are criminals in my book and I treat them accordingly.To simply decide it will not pay off and therefor is not worth seeking justice is a defeatist attitude.

He was new to this, and didn't realize the scope of governmental over-reach and how far it has gotten out of control,  he has realized that hard work does not pay off, and has decided to sell the house. 

Define what you’re looking to get out of real estate before you decide on any course of action.